Native animal sanctuary saved from bushfire

A couple of NSW RFS volunteers said it all: "If we let Potoroo Palace burn our children will never forgive us." Police had given the animal sanctuary staff 20 minutes to evacuate as an intense fire was sweeping up from near Merimbula. The staff evacuated but they also packed their cars with dingoes, possums, parrots, echidnas, ducks, geese - whichever animals they could readily transport - leaving the sprinklers and misting system to protect those left behind. And, of course, the Rural Fire Service.

The sanctuary's founder Alexandra Seddon said, "The police just turned up and said you've got 20 mins to get out, don't worry about the animals, just get the people out and don't worry about the animals."

She said the fire looked very fierce and clearly staff safety was the priority

They did as told and evacuated very quickly, but each handler also grabbed as many animals as they could, loading them into their cars.

"Everybody swung into action, taking away all the animals that could be taken away and ran the sprinklers and mist sprays on the ones that had to stay," she said.

With each handler taking animals under their care the first stop was the underground carpark at the bowlo in Merimbula where stunned club visitors were met by a menagerie of rescued animals.

Meanwhile the fire raged right up to the boundaries of the sanctuary with fire crews and aircraft holding it back.

Two houses towards Millingandi were lost to the fire, the highway was closed as the fire raged onwards, and television news footage looked like the outcome would be a disaster for the sanctuary also.

Inside the sanctuary the sprinkler systems and misting systems continued to run and so spot fires failed to take hold.

The RFS crews and aircraft succeeded in holding back the fire.

Meanwhile the various animals were distributed to safe places: dingoes and parrots to the Bega vet clinic; the Cape Barron goose and ducks to a handler's unit and swimming pool in Merimbula; Koalas and parrots to the Cows Nest animal refuge; echidnas to Ms Seddon sunroom at her home; and possums to a handler's home.

Those animals left under the sprinklers survived and appear to be unstressed.

The next day when we met with Ms Sedden we spoke on the office verandah only metres from where the fire had come.

The boundary road was still closed, surrounding forest has been burned, and helicopters were constantly in the air dropping water - but all animals were safe and no facilities had been lost.

It's nearly seven years since Alexandra Sedden took over the former small zoo when the enterprise was failing and she re-established it as a native animal sanctuary renamed Potoroo Palace, improving the facilities and the grounds and re-establishing it as a native animal sanctuary with education programs for schools and attractions for environmental tourists.

Potoroo Palace maintains a tenuous existence as a not for profit community enterprise through her personal investment together with community support, donations, and the income from visitors to the sanctuary, which is particularly popular for its focus on native wildlife and its peaceful environment for visitors.

Ms Sedden, also an artist and writer, works quietly in the background to support a range of environmental projects, including the Pambula wetlands, and another wildlife refuge at Cows Nest, near Candelo, and numerous other environmental projects.

"The Rural Fire Service was absolutely unbelievable, I can't thank them enough", she said.

"There were so many people who called to offer help, it's been amazing, so we would like to thank the whole community and especially the police and the fire brigade."